Connections and Advancement
by MATT SUNSTON
Summary: A follow-up to Scientific Involvement. Phoenix holds a Christmas party at the Wright Anything Agency, giving Apollo and Ema a chance to meet many of his old friends, as well as to evaluate their developing relationship. (Ema/Apollo, Phoenix/Maya, and a fair few others, really)
1. Empty Time

December 24th

11:43 AM

Criminal Affairs Department

The wind rattled the front doors as Ema Skye walked into the precinct. She slipped her hood off of her head and glanced around. As was to be expected around Christmas, there were relatively few officers and detectives present. The recent lull in crimes in the local area was holding fast, and the police chief had opted to give most of the homicide department more time off than average. Ema had been offered a complete vacation for the weeks before and after Christmas, but, in light of her ongoing streak of perpetual boredom, had decided to still visit the precinct on a few days of the week to check on things. She started toward her office, taking off her coat as she walked.

"Hey there, Ema." a voice called from across the room. Ema turned.

"Hey, Gumshoe." she responded, a slight smile on her face. Considering the slump that her work was in at the moment, it was nice to see a friendly face like that of Chief Detective Gumshoe.

"Still pretty quiet around here," Gumshoe said, leaning around the computer at his desk, "why don't you go find something more interesting to do?" Ema sighed.

"Because, Gumshoe, there's nothing _to _do outside of work right now." she responded, continuing toward her office. Gumshoe scratched the back of his head, thinking.

"Why don't you go see...what was his name? Mr. Wright's student, Judgement, or something?" he suggested after a pause.

"It's Justice." Ema corrected, sitting down, "Anyway, Apollo's busy with paperwork from the trial the other day." she finished. As she spoke, she began to dig around in her bag.

"On Christmas Eve?" Gumshoe asked, surprised. Ema, without looking up from her bag, continued,

"You've met Apollo, Gumshoe. You know how serious he is about work."

Gumshoe leaned back and thought for a moment. He had first met the young attorney a week ago, when he had come to the precinct to pick Ema up for a date. In the week since, he had spoken to Apollo a few times, mostly about his work with Phoenix Wright. Gumshoe had taken an immediate liking to the young man, particularly in light of the role that he had played in proving his mentor's innocence in the infamous evidence forgery case of seven years prior. If there was anyone that Dick Gumshoe would trust the honesty of immediately, it was Phoenix Wright. In the fateful trial that had cost Wright his attorney's badge, Gumshoe had immediately and completely refused to believe that he had been responsible for the evidence forgery that had cut off the trial. Along with this, in the short time since Ema had begun dating Apollo, the young woman's usual bitter temperament had near completely vanished. She had not returned to being the bright-eyed girl he remembered from before her entry into Criminal Affairs, but she was certainly more open and generally cheerful.

At this point, another thought occurred to Gumshoe. He looked over to Ema.

"Say, Ema. Did Mr. Wright invite you to his Christmas party over at his office tomorrow, as well?" he asked. Ema glanced up from her computer. She had been sitting in front of it for at least a minute, but it didn't appear that she had actually turned it on.

"Yeah. Lana, too." she said, resting her chin on her hand. Gumshoe grinned.

"You'll be able to spend Christmas with Apollo, then." he said, hoping to improve Ema's spirits at least a little. She gave a tiny smile, and responded,

"Yeah. We've been talking about it for the last couple of days. Apparently, Mr. Wright's inviting all of his old clients and friends. I just hope his office has enough space for everybody."

Gumshoe sat back again, returning his thoughts to the ex-attorney. A lot of people had Phoenix to thank for keeping their lives afloat. He had defended personal friends, celebrities, people he had never even heard of, and every time that his clients really were innocent, he had never failed to save them. Gumshoe glanced downward at his hand. The wedding ring that he wore on his finger was just as closely tied to Phoenix's work as anything else. Had it not been for Phoenix, Maggey Gumshoe would have been wrongfully thrown in prison eight years ago, and even if she had somehow avoided conviction, without the influence of Phoenix's actions, Mr. Edgeworth never would have authorized that the detective be given the unprecedented bonus that he had received to pay for his engagement to Maggey. Starting with the year after their wedding, their luck had finally seemed to turn around. He had been promoted to Chief Detective, and Maggey had found a stable job as an evidence filer in the precinct.

Coming to the end of his train of thought, he glanced over at Ema again. She was still sitting in the same position, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her bag was open, and a few miscellaneous objects were sticking out. As could be expected with Ema, there were a few empty beakers, as well as her collection of various tools for forensic inspections. If a different detective were the Chief, they probably wouldn't be as willing as Gumshoe was to allow Ema to experiment in crime scenes, as she wasn't technically certified to do so, but Gumshoe had seen her at work enough to know that she was easily more capable than most of the actual forensics team. Usually, when Ema was bored, she would pull out her notepad and look through her detailed descriptions of her experiments, as well as jot down ideas for future work. Gumshoe surmised that she had to be well beyond her usual state of boredom to be skipping an opportunity for even that. Finally, he spoke up again.

"Ema, you really ought to go and see Apollo. I know he's really into his work, but I doubt he'd really rather bury himself in paperwork than see you." Ema remained silent for a few moments, before her head slipped off of its position on her propped-up arm. Her face hit the desk, and she gave an abrupt jerk. Shaking her head, she looked back at him.

"I must be getting bad about this, huh?" she said, sighing. She closed her bag and slung it back over her shoulder. "Fine, I'll go over to the office." she stood up and began to walk back to the front doors.

"OK, pal. I'll see you tomorrow, then." Gumshoe called, grinning once again.


	2. Anticipatory Leisure

December 24th

12:27 PM

Wright Anything Agency

Apollo looked up from the stack of papers he had just finished filling out. Even with the simpler work involved in theft cases, the combined paperwork from the sheer number of cases he had recently accepted was beginning to seriously wear on his eyes and mind. His sight took a moment to adjust to the bright colours of the furniture in the office after staring down at the uniform white and black of the documents on his desk for such an extended period of time. The young attorney stood up from his small desk and picked up the stack of paper. He dropped it into a tray on the cabinet next to the desk, and crossed the room to the door. After opening the door, he paused for a moment in surprise. The usual state of disarray that he was accustomed to in the office was completely absent. All the furniture had been moved up against the walls, and Trucy's massive collection of memorabilia and props seemed to have been moved somewhere else entirely, most likely to her bedroom. It was interesting how the little office could function as a living space for himself, Trucy, and her father, and still have this much space available with a little work. He walked to the kitchen, intending to throw together a lunch from whatever was still in the fridge. Passing by the imposing cabinet of legal books, he heard another door open. A moment later, Trucy entered the room. It may have been the dead of winter, but that didn't deter Trucy from wearing her usual blue magician's outfit, up to and including her prized silk top hat.

"Finally out of your cave, Polly?" she asked, giving him a smirk. Apollo simply opened the fridge and responded,

"If my timing was bothering you, I doubt it would have killed you to help out with the paperwork, seeing as you were there for all the trials and investigations." Trucy may have declared herself his legal assistant back when he first came to the Agency, but at times it seemed as if she was mostly there to provide witty or bizarre comments on nearly everything they came across.

"Come on, Polly. You know Daddy wouldn't want me getting overworked." she teased, tapping Apollo on the head. "By the way, you should be careful in the fridge. Daddy's really crammed a lot of stuff into there for the party tomorrow." She certainly wasn't lying about that. Apollo was impressed not only by his mentor's generous spending in preparation for the party, but also by the skill he had employed in arranging the fridge to hold everything. He managed to extract what was necessary for his lunch, and moved over to the table, where Trucy was already sitting. She was fiddling with a fresh deck of cards, no doubt memorizing yet another impossibly complex card trick. For such a distractible girl, she was remarkably skilled in the work she put into her magic acts. They sat in relative silence for a short while, Trucy quietly reciting the steps involved in her latest trick, and Apollo setting into his lunch, before a knock sounded at the door.

"I've got it." Apollo said, standing up. Before he had any chance to move toward the door, however, Trucy had rushed from her seat to the entryway. She pulled open the door.

"Hi, Ema!" Apollo heard her say, before he too rushed to the door. There stood Ema Skye, holding her customary bag of Snackoos.

"Hi, Trucy, Apollo." she said between mouthfuls of chocolate.

"Hey, Ema. Nice to see you." Apollo began, "I was hoping somebody might drop by."

"C'mon, Polly, aren't I company enough?" Trucy asked teasingly, turning to look up at him.

"You're a different kind of company altogether." he responded dryly, stepping aside to let Ema in. She walked in, still diligently working through her Snackoos.

"It's...empty in here." she noted, looking around.

"Yep! Daddy's got the whole office set up for the party tomorrow!" Trucy chirped, breaking into her usual wide smile. "You'll be here, right?" she asked.

"Of course." Ema said, nodding. "My sister's coming, too." she paused for a second before continuing, "You've never met Lana, have you?" Trucy shook her head.

"Nope. Polly's read the case file about her trial from a long time ago, at least." she said.

"Well, I'm sure she'll like you." Ema muttered distractedly, clearly not very engaged in the conversation. Apollo, sensing an oncoming awkward silence, spoke up.

"So, what brings you here today, Ema?" Ema merely shrugged in response. After a moment, she glanced around the office and responded,

"Gumshoe said I would probably have a better time over here than down at the precinct."

At this, Apollo felt slightly uncomfortable. He and Ema had been dating for a week by now, but he still hadn't quite managed the shake off the nagging feelings of inadequacy that had held back his emotions in the days before their first date. Ema seemed to notice the look on his face, and she gave him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Apollo. Didn't mean to put you on the spot, there." she said. He gave his customary nervous smile in response. Trucy giggled inwardly at his awkward nature. It was quite different from his work attitude. Either way, he was awkward, but when working on a case, Apollo would force a serious expression and try to make himself appear more experienced than he was. Trucy had never quite been able to take Apollo seriously in any capacity, though, due in part to knowing his real personality, as well as the contrast between his serious expressions and ridiculous choice of hairstyle. This time, Trucy decided to break the ensuing silence.

"Ema, you wanna see what Daddy's planning for the party?" she asked, bouncing slightly on her feet. Ema took a moment to eat still more Snackoos, thinking it over. After a fairly lengthy pause, she shrugged.

"I guess."

Trucy led Apollo and Ema into one of the back rooms of the office. A sheet of paper was pinned to the wall, bearing a long list of names. Apollo vaguely recognized some of them from old case files that Mr. Wright had tucked away into one of his many dusty filing cabinets. He stopped, thinking about his mentor's past. Mr. Wright had saved a truly incredible number of people from being wrongfully convicted during his career, and even if his personal opinion of the man's behaviour had changed since he had met him, he still held the same level of respect for Mr. Wright and his work as ever. Apollo snapped out of his thoughts as he realized that Trucy had already been talking to Ema for a while, describing the preparations that her father had been making for the last few weeks in great detail. He already knew the general plan, of course, and nothing Trucy said seemed to stand out in particular. His mind began to drift again, but was again interrupted as Ema tapped him lightly on the forehead.

"Apollo, we're not losing you here, are we?" she asked teasingly. Apollo attempted to respond, but only managed to stammer incoherently. Trucy giggled again. "It sounds like Mr. Wright's really put some thought into this." Ema said, turning back to Trucy. Trucy nodded enthusiastically.

"What's even better is that everybody on the guest list has agreed to show up!" Trucy said gleefully. "Not even the really important people wanted to miss out on seeing Daddy!"

Ema's boredom finally seemed to be subsiding, and she made a mental note to thank Gumshoe for the suggestion.

A few short hours later, Ema and Apollo were sitting on the couch together. Trucy had returned to her room to give them some space, leaving the pair in deep conversation about Apollo's most recent investigations.

"So, really, it was your evidence that saved us in there." Apollo finished. Ema tilted her head and flashed a proud sort of smile.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." she said. She found it interesting and, admittedly, somewhat cute how Apollo was now so open with compliments, despite still struggling to receive even a modest amount of respect for his work in court. She also noticed that his awkwardness in general was beginning to recede, although it still emerged to the forefront when he tried to talk to Ema while other people that they knew were around.

Their conversation came to a proper end a few minutes later, and they both stood up.

"I should get home," Ema said, turning toward the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." Apollo smiled and followed her to the doorway.

"See you then," he said, holding the door open. Ema stepped out and turned back to him. She leaned forward to give him her usual kiss on the forehead. Even a week after the first time, Apollo still felt his face heating up rapidly as she made contact. Ema gave him a last smile as she started down the hall toward the elevator. As she walked, a thought suddenly forced itself into her mind. Klavier Gavin hadn't been into the precinct since shortly before her first date with Apollo, but he was on Mr. Wright's guest list.

"He doesn't know yet..." she muttered to herself, looking down at the floor. "_That's_ gonna be an interesting conversation."


	3. A Whirlwind of Introductions

December 25th

9:57 AM

Wright Anything Agency

Apollo slowly spun around in his chair. A state of high anticipation hung over the office. Trucy was practically skipping around, making certain that everything in the office was up to her personal standard for the party. The first of the guests were likely to arrive at any minute, and Phoenix was pacing around the main room, humming idly. The three had already opened their respective gifts to each other earlier in the morning, so there was relatively little activity to occupy the dwindling time with. Trucy was in her usual outfit, naturally, but her visible state of sheer excitement somehow left her looking slightly different than usual. Phoenix had left his beanie off and combed the spikes of his hair to a state that rivalled their glory in the days of his legal career. Apollo had swapped his business suit for some relaxed and casual attire. Any conversations that the group attempted to start tended to break off before much was said, once again leaving them to only their own eagerness.

At long last, a knock sounded at the door, and Phoenix strode over to throw it open. Although he had read the guest list beforehand, Apollo still had to restrain his jaw from dropping open. In the doorway stood a finely dressed man in a subdued maroon suit.

"Wright," the man said, bowing his head the tiniest bit and smiling.

"Edgeworth," Phoenix responded, spreading his arms. After a moment's hesitation, Miles Edgeworth accepted the embrace. After they separated, Edgeworth stepped into the office, casting a glance around. His eyes fell on Apollo and Trucy, and he offered a hand. Apollo reached out his own and shook Edgeworth's, perhaps slightly overenthusiastically. Edgeworth was not fazed, and shook Trucy's hand as well.

"I'm Miles Edgeworth. You must be Trucy Wright and Apollo Justice." he said, smiling lightly at them. Trucy gave a cheerful nod, and Apollo stammered,

"Yes, sir."

Edgeworth chuckled quietly.

"No need for the formalities, Mr. Justice." he said, glancing back at Apollo. As he turned back to Phoenix, Apollo took a moment to think about the rather paradoxical nature of Edgeworth's statement, before a cheerful voice came in from the door.

"Sorry, Edgey, I fell behind a bit on the stairs!" A moment later, a rather eccentrically dressed young woman with lengthy black hair walked in. "Hiya, Mr. Wright!" she said, giving a wave.

"Hi, Kay. Edgeworth's just been introducing himself to Trucy and Apollo." Phoenix responded, motioning toward the group. The woman, Kay, stuck out her own hand to the two of them.

"I'm Kay Faraday," she said, shaking their hands energetically. "I'm Edgey's assistant, and the Great Thief Yatagarasu." Apollo raised an eyebrow. From everything he knew about Miles Edgeworth, he didn't seem like the type to have an assistant so similar in temperament to Trucy, much less one that would openly boast about being a criminal. But then, if he was an old friend of Mr. Wright's, Apollo supposed that surprises were to be expected. As Kay turned back to Edgeworth, Trucy leaned to Apollo's ear.

"I _think_ Daddy said that Mr. Edgeworth and Kay are dating, but Mr. Edgeworth has never been very good with his emotions." she whispered. Another surprise to add to the growing pile. Edgeworth and Phoenix broke into a conversation, and Kay slipped off to occupy herself by the door. Shortly afterward, a group arrived. They were headed by a tall and lanky man in a bright orange jacket.

"Hey, Nick!" he practically shouted, giving Phoenix a friendly hug.

"Hey, Larry." Phoenix said as they moved apart. Behind Larry came a large and wild-looking fellow and a shorter woman with a very pronounced afro. "How's it going, Will? Lotta?" Phoenix greeted, sliding around Larry. They gave their own greetings, the woman particularly enthusiastically so, catching everyone's attention with a loud Southern accent. There didn't seem to be any particular connection between these three guests, as they appeared to have just met up on the way up to the office. Nevertheless, they all introduced themselves to Trucy and Apollo before moving off into the room to socialize.

In the rush that ensued, they were introduced to a staggering variety of people. From the DeLites, a married couple comprised of a quiet but lavishly dressed man and his stunningly attractive wife, to the aggressive whip-carrying prosecutor Franziska von Karma, up to a flamboyantly dressed magician with a vibrantly dyed head of pink hair. The magician was in the middle of his greetings to Phoenix when he froze suddenly, staring at Trucy. Apollo couldn't quite tell what he was going to do once he began moving again. Trucy was staring right back, seemingly in an equal stupor. Finally, the man spoke.

"Your outfit...but you couldn't be..." were the only bits of his mutterings that reached Apollo's ears.

"Yep! Introducing Trucy Gramarye!" Trucy cut in, giving an exaggerated bow. The man jumped backwards, practically falling over in shock.

"Gramarye? So, the troupe's still active, then?" he asked, looking beyond surprised.

"Yep!" Trucy repeated. "You're Max Galactica, aren't you?" she inquired.

"Indeed, darling." Galactica responded, returning to his previous dramatic flair. "I never would have expected to hear the name Gramarye again, though." he said. "After the troupe disbanded, I lost my biggest rivals, you see." Trucy broke into a grin.

"Well, I'm giving the troupe its comeback, so I hope to see you on stage!" she said, unable to contain her excitement. As they continued their exchange, Apollo looked around the office. Even with the great many people that had arrived, there were still quite a lot of names left on the guest list, and the room somehow still held more than enough open space for those who had yet to arrive. He spun around to face the door as he heard a familiar voice greeting Phoenix.

Ema stood just inside the doorway, accompanied by an older woman that Apollo guessed to be her sister, Lana, and a man in an unusual but remarkably authentic cowboy outfit. They were greeting Phoenix together when Ema's eyes met Apollo's. She excused herself from the door and approached him.

"Hey, Apollo. Pretty nice crowd we've got here so far." she said. Apollo nodded.

"Yeah, and it's not even half of the guest list." he responded. Ema, who had apparently been using the greeting as an opportunity to quickly look around, grabbed his arm and began to pull him toward the far corner of the office. "What's up?" he asked, following.

"The fop isn't here yet, right?" Ema asked, stopping.

"Klavier? Not yet," Apollo began. "Why do you..." he trailed off for a moment. "Wait, that's right, he doesn't know about us yet, does he?" Ema shook her head in response.

"We need to plan out what we're going to do once he arrives," she said, before...

"_NIIICK!_" an incredibly loud female voice cut through the air. Apollo saw Phoenix turning, and less than a second later, a short woman crashed into him, throwing her arms almost aggressively around his neck. Phoenix responded in much the same way, his face lighting up with sheer joy as the woman buried her face in his shoulder. Apollo's eyebrows nearly hit his hairline, which, considering the prominence of his forehead, was quite a feat. Mr. Wright had definitely never mentioned _this _woman before. The two hadn't even broken their embrace yet, but they were already well into a conversation. From what Apollo could hear, the woman's name was Maya. Maya Fey, he surmised, recalling the name from the case files. If his memory was correct, she had been Phoenix's assistant for most of his career. Apollo looked across the room to Trucy. She too had an expression of utter bewilderment on her face. Evidently, she hadn't known about Maya either. Apollo suddenly became aware that there was another girl at the door, this one appearing to be around Trucy's age. If Apollo had thought that either Phoenix or Maya had looked overjoyed to see each other, their expressions were nothing compared to the look of pure elation that was set into the younger girl's face. She had been standing in the doorway, practically jumping off the ground in excitement as she watched Phoenix and Maya embrace, but finally charged forward to join them. If it was possible, Phoenix looked even happier as this new arrival rushed over to him. Apollo had never before seen such a joyous expression on his mentor's face. It took him a moment to remember that he had been talking with Ema, and he turned back to her. She was laughing quietly as she, like most of the crowd, watched Phoenix closely.

"That's Maya, alright." she said, finally breaking her focus and returning her attention to Apollo. "Right," she began, returning to their earlier conversation. "When Klavier gets here, we're gonna need to find a way to clarify the situation to him." Apollo nodded.

"I don't think he's gonna accept it all that easily," he said, "but Klavier's not the type to hold a grudge." Ema shrugged.

"Even so, we need to be careful how we handle this. He wasn't letting up even an inch with the flirting the last time we had to talk." she said, rolling her eyes. Apollo had always privately admired how Ema always shrugged off Klavier's advances while still managing to remain professional when working with him. Ema seemed anxious about Klavier's impending arrival, so Apollo spoke up.

"Why don't we go get some punch?" he offered, "It'd take your mind off of it." Ema hesitated briefly, before nodding and taking Apollo's hand to walk over to the table at the other end of the room.

Larry had been hanging around the table, but quickly moved away as they approached. Taking a couple of glasses from the table, Apollo reached for the ladle in the punch bowl, but Ema grabbed his wrist.

"Hold it. I'd better check this." she said, reaching into her bag with her other hand. She extracted a small vial and scooped a sample of the punch into it. She swirled it around in front of her face for a moment, before opening her bag again and taking out a small device. She dripped some of the punch onto a strip of paper and slipped it into the machine. A moment later, a red light lit up from the device.

"Yep, I thought so. Larry just _had_ to spike it." she muttered, turning around. "Oh, Mr. Wriiiiiiiight!" she called to Phoenix, who was still deep in conversation with Maya and the younger girl, as she walked toward him. Apollo watched as she talked to Phoenix for a moment. Phoenix frowned and strode over to Larry. Larry was speaking nervously for a moment before Phoenix cuffed him over the back of the head.

"Apollo, could you get out the second bowl?" Phoenix yelled over his shoulder. Apollo sighed, chuckling to himself, and slipped into the kitchen. He pulled the fridge open and lifted out the other large punch bowl. Phoenix stood waiting at the door, and took the bowl from him.

"Thanks." he said, setting it down on the table. He pulled two sheets of paper off of the nearest shelf and labelled the two bowls as Ema returned.

"Right. With that out of the way," she began, pouring two glasses and handing one to Apollo. There was a pause as Ema attempted to think of a topic to discuss. She was saved as the office door opened again.

"Hey, Gumshoe!" she called, waving to the detective as he entered. Gumshoe had an arm around his wife's shoulder. Apollo had never personally met Maggey Gumshoe, as she had only been briefly mentioned in his conversations with her husband. She looked quite happy to see everyone, looking around as she waved to Phoenix. Apollo once again took a moment to marvel at the vast array of people that his mentor had worked with and defended in his time. Ema waved to Maggey before turning back to Apollo.

"You wanna meet my sister?" she offered.

"Sure." Apollo said, glad to have something to do. They approached the woman who had entered with Ema, and Ema waved an arm toward her.

"This is my sister, Lana, and her fiancé, Jake Marshall. Lana, Jake, this is my boyfriend, Apollo Justice." she said, smiling at the three of them. Apollo mentally slapped himself for blushing slightly at Ema's choice of title for him.

_She's not wrong,_ he reminded himself. Lana Skye and her Western-dressed companion both greeted him.

"Finally got yerself a partner, have you, little bambina?" Marshall asked amiably, tipping his hat. Unlike Apollo, Ema was not remotely fazed by his unusual style of speech, and she nodded.

"However you want to word it." she said.

"Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Justice." Lana said. "Ema's been telling me about you every day for the past week." To Apollo's momentary shock, Ema seemed to be blushing slightly herself.

"Thanks, sis." she said airily, turning away for a moment. Once she looked back, they broke into a lengthy conversation. As Apollo learned, after Lana's trial nine years prior, despite having been cleared of the murder charge, she was still sentenced to six months in prison for her involvement in the evidence forgeries distantly related to the case. This roughly matched the sentence that Jake received for assault and evidence theft, and they had finally rekindled their long-dormant romance once they were both released. Lana had then spent just under two years working to regain her old position as a detective, so that she would be able to work alongside her sister. Ema was just getting into describing the work she had done with Apollo when there came yet another knock at the door.

Apollo and Ema turned to see who had arrived, and shared an immense groan.

"Morgen, Leute! Morning, everyone!" came the distinctive voice of Klavier Gavin.


	4. A Conflict Averted

December 25th

12:19 PM

Wright Anything Agency

"And everything had been going so well." Ema growled. Klavier was strolling around the room, extended friendly greetings to everyone he passed. Really, Apollo had no particular reason to be annoyed by the prosecutor's presence. They were fairly good friends, after all, and only ever actively worked against each other due to their positions in the courtroom. The circumstances, however, were hardly ideal for his sudden arrival. Ema attempted to make herself inconspicuous, shuffling around behind Lana and Jake, but it was only a matter of time until Klavier would inevitably notice her.

"Apollo," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth, "go over and talk to him. I need another minute to plan this out." Apollo gave her a questioning look, but she simply glared back resolutely. With a sigh, he started across the room. Klavier had been speaking to Edgeworth when he noticed Apollo approaching.

"Ah, Herr Forehead! Frohe Weihnachten!" he called.

"Er, hey, Klavier!" Apollo called back, figuring it would probably be best to just pretend that he had even the foggiest idea what his greeting had meant.

"Excellent showing you've got here." Klavier said, taking another look around the room.

"Yeah, we were all pretty surprised when literally _everyone_ agreed to show." Apollo responded. As Klavier continued to observe the crowd, Apollo began to think to himself.

It was interesting how, despite of having been enemies at work since day one, they could still so easily have become friends. Klavier had always been openly friendly, but it had taken until after the Misham trial for Apollo to properly start doing the same. Initially, he had found the prosecutor's overtly charming and slightly cocky nature fairly grating, and there still remained his dislike for Klavier's chosen style of music, but in all other respects, he had found it much easier to socialize with Klavier after Kristoph Gavin had finally been convicted. Thinking back to the trial, he had a fairly good guess as to why. Knowing that Klavier had been the prosecutor that personally ended Phoenix's career had been a serious personal barrier for him, but seeing the prosecutor's inwardly horrified expression in the courtroom as Vera had revealed the truth about the forgery had been the first major step to overcoming his bias. From there, Klavier went on to help him take Kristoph down, and from immediately after Vera's release from the hospital, Apollo was finally able to put his apprehension behind him and forge a proper friendship.

"Ach, where is our Fräulein Detective?" Klavier's voice snapped Apollo out of his thoughts. Without thinking, he glanced backward. Ema was doing quite an impressive job of concealing herself behind Lana, but Klavier noticed his glance. He chuckled. "Hiding, is she?" With that, he sauntered off toward Lana and Jake. Apollo cast an apologetic look back at Ema, but she returned only a furious glare. Miraculously, Klavier missed Ema as he walked by Lana and Jake. Seizing the opportunity, Ema ducked out of her hiding place and slipped back across the room.

"Plan B, then..." she whispered as she passed by Apollo. A few moments later, she stopped next to Trucy, who was talking energetically to the younger girl who had arrived with Maya. Pearl was her name, if Apollo remembered the old case files properly. After a brief and unheard exchange with Ema, Trucy rushed across the room herself. Evidently, Ema had asked her for a distraction as well. Apollo slid over to the corner Ema was now standing in.

"Come up with anything?" he asked. Ema shrugged.

"Plenty. No matter what, he's still the same old fop, though. My wording isn't gonna change his reaction." she said, a small frown crossing her face. Apollo paused.

"We'll just have to wing it, then." he muttered grimly.

"S'pose so."

A short while later, Trucy cast a glance across the room. Her eyes met Ema's, and she raised a shoulder in a questioning gesture. Ema waved a hand in response, which Trucy took as a sign to break off her talk with Klavier.

"Oh, _there's_ Ema!" They heard her say. "Over there, next to Polly!" Klavier spun on his heel and finally noticed them.

"Ah, you found her, Herr Forehead!" he said, striding back across the room. "Couldn't hide from me forever, Fräulein." Ema seemed to be repressing an urge to break something. Apollo glanced at her.

"Should I...er-" he began,

"Go find something to do, yeah." Ema growled. Apollo nodded and slipped away toward the refreshment table. Phoenix was leaning against the wall nearest, once again chatting with Maya.

"How much longer, do you think?" Apollo heard Maya asking.

"Shouldn't be more than a couple of months, now." Phoenix responded. "By the way," he continued, noticing Apollo approaching. "Maya, this is Apollo." the woman turned toward him and smiled brightly. Apollo extended a hand.

"Apollo Justice." he said, as Maya reached out as well.

"Maya Fey, Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique and, more importantly, Nick's girlfriend." she said, shaking his hand. Upon hearing this introduction, Apollo gave a noticeable jerk. Noticing the odd look Maya gave him, he supposed that he shouldn't have been all that surprised. He had heard plenty about the Kurain Channeling Technique in the news during Phoenix's career, and even more as he had read through the shelves of old case files. Even then, he probably should have gotten some idea from Maya's elegant purple and scarlet kimono. As for the second point, he had suspected as much, judging by the ecstatic greeting she had given to Phoenix, but due mostly to Phoenix never having mentioned her in the past, the abrupt confirmation still came as a slight shock. Maya was still looking at him curiously, and he spoke up.

"Sorry, Ms. Fey. I was just a bit surprised, that's all."

She giggled in a manner that was strikingly similar to Trucy.

"What, did Nick never tell you about me?" she asked, glancing back at Phoenix. Apollo opened his mouth to answer, but just then, Trucy appeared.

"No, he definitely didn't!" she said indignantly, putting her hands on her hips and frowning at her father. "I only just found out from Pearl!"

"C'mon, Nick, that's no way to treat your daughter." Maya teasingly scolded. Trucy crossed her arms.

"Hmph. Well, if you're going out with Ms. Maya, you'd better not act like you don't know who my new mommy's going to be anymore." she said, her frown becoming a pout. Maya clapped a hand to her mouth, blushing moderately. Phoenix just laughed quietly without answering. Apollo took a moment to check on Ema.

She seemed to be managing fairly well, all things considered. She wasn't yet raising her voice or throwing things at Klavier, but like always, the prosecutor was keeping up his pursuit.

"You ought to go support her over there." Phoenix said, watching as well. Trucy slid around to stand in front of Apollo, frowning up at him now.

"Daddy's right, Polly. You shouldn't leave your date to deal with Klavier by herself." she said, as if she was lecturing a child. There wasn't much Apollo could say to argue. Defeated, he walked once again back across the room. Ema saw him coming and looked immensely relieved. Klavier was still running through his seemingly endless list of different angles to approach the conversation from, as determined as ever to successfully charm Ema.

"Come on now, Fräulein, you can't just keep turning a man down on Christmas," he was saying, as Apollo stopped next to them. "Ah, Herr Forehead. As you can see, our detective friend is still doing everything she can to resist me." he said, by way of a greeting. Ema slipped up for a moment, and let out a tiny grunt of laughter at his overgenerous choice of words. Before Klavier could take advantage of her lapse in focus, she saved herself by speaking up.

"I've told you more than enough times already that I'm not interested." she said, forcing an impassive expression. "Especially," she continued, "since Apollo's here now." Klavier cast a sideways look at Apollo, looking puzzled.

"What do you..." he glanced between the two of them, "...mean? Herr Forehead, is there something you haven't told me?" Ema looked to be reaching the end of her patience. Apollo stammered for a moment, unable to think up a tactful response, and Ema groaned.

"Oh, alright, dammit, if that's what it's gonna take." she said grouchily. Without any other warning, Ema suddenly darted forward, grabbing Apollo by the shoulders. Apollo's eyes snapped open and he half-expected his face to catch fire as Ema forcefully pressed her lips against his.

From there, everything around them seemed to freeze. The talk heard from the crowd melded into an incomprehensible drone as Apollo seemed to lose all connection to everything but Ema. After several seconds, she pulled away. Apollo stood completely still, his mind several steps behind in processing what had just happened. He stared from Ema to Klavier. Ema was giving him a wry sort of smile, but Klavier seemed to have been struck silent in much the same way as he had. Ema snickered quietly at the effect she had caused. Apollo and Klavier held their seemingly catatonic states for quite a while, but finally, the latter cleared his throat and spoke.

"Well. That was...not what I would have expected."

"No hard feelings, right?" Ema asked him. Klavier hesitated.

"None whatsoever." he said, finally regaining control of himself.

"Good. If either of you need me, I'll be talking to Mr. Wright." Ema said shortly, walking away. Apollo and Klavier stood motionlessly for a few seconds.

"Well, congratulations, Herr Forehead." Klavier said, breaking the prolonged silence. His tone was quickly sliding back into its usual state. "I am happy for you." Apollo looked at him curiously.

"So, you're not...angry? You're not jealous?" he questioned. This was the last reaction had been expecting.

"Jealous?" Klavier said, his trademark cocky grin reappearing on his face. "I don't need to be. You won the Fräulein's heart, I didn't. There's nothing else to be said." He clapped Apollo on the back. "You're a lucky man, Herr Justice. Treat her well." With that, he walked away, leaving Apollo in confusion. His mind was finally beginning to catch up with the situation. Ema had just kissed him full on the mouth, and Klavier, for lack of a better term, seemed to be giving their relationship his blessing. This was...a far better result than he could possibly have anticipated.

"Clueless as ever, aren't you, Apollo?" came Trucy's voice. The girl pulled up two chairs and sat down, motioning for Apollo to do the same.


	5. Forging Connections

Phoenix Wright had never been a methodical sort of man. Even before becoming an attorney, he had always chosen to take things as they came and adapt as necessary. In hindsight, this was probably a significant factor in the events that led to his disbarment, but as all those close to him knew, the loss of his badge hadn't been a concern of his in years. Immediately after the disastrous Gramarye trial, he had, in spite of the legal risks, set to work searching for the truth. For the first while, he had hoped to quickly find evidence of his innocence and take the matter straight to court, as he so often had before, but as his search continued, he gradually realized that there was no easy way to bring the truth to light. It wasn't until nearly a month after the official disbarment, when he received a phone call from a frantic and near hysterical Maya that he finally slowed down.

"Nick!" Maya's voice had blared into his ear. "What's going on!? Everything; the TV, the newspapers, they're all talking about you! The Gramarye trial, they're saying that you tried to use forged evidence, and that your client vanished, and...and that you lost your..." he remembered her voice trailing off as she attempted to restrain a sob. "...Nick, you...you didn't lose...lose your badge...right?" He hadn't been able to answer immediately. "...Nick." Maya had forced her voice to remain level. "Answer me." He had still hesitated. Normally, he would never have kept Maya waiting for an answer, but from what he could hear, she was in a bad emotional state, and he was concerned that giving her the truth would completely break her. This seemed to be confirmed as Maya cut into the silence again. "Nick..." her voice was shaking again, and Phoenix heard her take in a deep breath. Knowing what was coming, he moved the receiver to arm's length, just in time for Maya to scream,  
"_ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!"_

Even with the phone more than a solid foot away from his ear, he winced. It was the first time he had ever heard Maya openly curse. Finally, clearing his throat, he answered.

"Almost...almost all of it is true, Maya."

Maya's end of the call remained in silence for nearly ten seconds. Suddenly, a loud and painful-sounding crash sounded from the phone. Phoenix faintly heard a familiar gasp, and Pearl's voice cut in.

"Mystic Maya!" she seemed to be fumbling to pick up the phone.

"Pearls, what happened!? Is Maya alright!?" he had begun to panic himself.

"She's...she looks OK, Mr. Nick, but she fell to her knees and she's not moving or listening to me."

"I'll be there right away." Phoenix had said as soon as Pearl finished speaking.

"But, Mr. Nick, the trains aren't running today-" he hadn't stayed to listen. He said a hasty goodbye, hung up, and rushed to his desk. Throwing open a drawer, he dug around for his address book. After finding it, he ran a finger down the long list of names written in it, stopping on the phone number of Ron and Desirée DeLite. He only hoped that this plan would work. He threw down the book and dialed the number into the phone. Several seconds later, he heard Desirée's voice.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mrs. DeLite. It's Phoenix Wright."

"...Nicky? What's going on?"

"Listen, Mrs. DeLite, I need a favour."

"Sure, what's up? And hey, I said for you to just call me Desirée."

"Right. Anyway, the trains aren't running today, and I need a ride to Kurain Village right away."

"That's...the village your assistant is from, right?"

"Yeah. Listen, if you can help me out, we need to hurry. You still have the address for my office, right?"

"Of course. You asked the right lady, Nicky. I'll be right there." she said, before leaning away from the phone. "Ronnie, I'll be back in about an hour!"

"Thanks, Desirée, I really appreciate this."

"Not a problem, Nicky boy. But, once I get there, you'd better explain something to me." she abruptly hung up the phone. Phoenix glanced at the clock. It was only just past 10, so Trucy wouldn't be finished with school for several hours. He rushed down to the ground floor and stepped outside. Less than a minute later, a motorcycle appeared at the end of the road, tearing toward him at an alarming rate. With a tremendous screech, it stopped at the curb. Desirée removed her helmet for just long enough to yell to him,

"Hop on and hold on tight, Nicky boy!"

Phoenix had never liked the very idea of motorcycles, but he was perfectly willing to put his concerns aside for the emergency at hand. Desirée handed him a helmet, he mounted the bike, and they tore off back down the city road. It was incredible, the way that Desirée endlessly swerved around the other vehicles on the road, no doubt breaking dozens upon dozens of traffic laws in the process, all to reach her destination as fast as she could. As they rushed through the outskirts of the city, Desirée asked Phoenix about what had happened in the Gramarye trial, which he recounted to the best of his ability. She seemed scandalized to hear that anyone suspected Phoenix himself of being behind the forgery. Once they reached the dirt road that ran alongside the train tracks, she gunned the engine and accelerated to untold speeds, the scenery becoming a solid blur around them.

After a dizzying twenty minute ride, the motorcycle came to a stop at the Kurain train station. Phoenix jumped off the vehicle, handing Desirée his helmet.

"Keep it." she said. "You're gonna need a ride back later. Give me another call whenever that is." Without waiting for a response, she sped away again. Phoenix took off at a run toward Fey Manor. He was earning a variety of strange looks from the few people walking around, particularly as he stopped at the front doors of the large building. He pounded on the door, and it swung open seconds later. Evidently, Pearl had been waiting just inside for him.

"Mr. Nick! Mystic Maya's just in the Master's bedroom." she said, turning and running off herself. Phoenix followed, his nerves far from calmed. As they arrived at Maya's room, Phoenix saw her sitting on her bed, silently staring out the glass door opposite.

"Maya..."

She spun around suddenly as Phoenix approached. She didn't seem to have been crying, judging by her face, but the moment he sat down next to her, she threw her arms around him, openly sobbing into his shoulder. Phoenix was about to return the embrace when Maya lifted her head. She stared at the place on his chest where he had proudly displayed his Attorney's Badge just one month prior. Seeing nothing there, she turned her face up to his. Phoenix slowly shook his head, and Maya dissolved back into a steady flow of tears, convulsing violently.

They must have been sitting there for nearly half an hour before Maya was finally able to speak.

"Nick. Tell me everything." Seeing Maya in this state was easily more heartbreaking than anything else Phoenix had been through in the past month. It seemed that details about the Gramarye trial had taken until now to emerge publicly, and Phoenix deeply regretted not telling Maya himself when it had occurred. As he described what he knew about the forgery, Maya's expression briefly changed to determination as she offered to help him investigate the truth, but he shot the idea down.

"There's no point, Maya. I already know that it was all Kristoph, but there's nothing, _nothing_ I can do to prove it, and I can't risk him finding out that you know about this." Maya slumped, and he returned to his explanation. Once he had finished, he too felt a near overpowering urge to break down in tears. In the three years since he had met Maya, he had never seen her looking this broken. She had lost nearly everything and everyone she cared about in her life. All that remained was him and Pearl, and now, even he had been all but stolen from her.

"If there's...anything good that came out of this..." he said, to which Maya cast him a questioning look, "It's this." he finished, pulling a photo out of his pocket and handing it to Maya.

"Who's-"

"Trucy Enigmar, Zak's eight year-old daughter. He...left her behind when he vanished, so..." he trailed off, seeing Maya flip the photo over.

"Trucy...Wright?" she whispered, reading the name off the back.

"...Yeah. I adopted her a few weeks after the trial."

Maya's face brightened; the first time Phoenix had seen it happen since the days after the Hazakura Temple trial, before she had returned to Kurain.

"I always thought you'd make a great parent, Nick. Ever since you met Pearly, at least." Maya whispered, looking up at him, her tears finally ceasing. She seemed to suddenly be in deep thought. There was something in the look in her eyes that caught his interest.

"Maya...when you say that," he started, watching her expression closely.

"I guess...I guess it was Pearly that caught on first, though." she went on, further piquing his interest.

"Maya...?" he stammered, seeing the look in her eyes change subtly.

"I wanted to tell you ages ago, Nick, but..." she forced out, clearly struggling to avoid breaking back into tears. "Now, I _need _to. Now, before you go and do something stupid. If you don't want Kristoph finding out about me, I'll stay here until you can put him in prison where he belongs, but I need to tell you this first." Phoenix's suspicion that he knew what he was about to hear was continually growing, and it was finally confirmed as Maya leaned her forehead against his, whispering the three words that changed everything about their relationship in an instant.

It was odd, really, the way his feelings for Maya had gradually evolved in their time together. After her departure for Kurain Village in his first year as an attorney, he had fallen into a slump. Somehow, without Maya in the office, he had lost all resolve to work. It wasn't until the then-sixteen Ema Skye had turned up at his office to request that he represent her sister that he finally returned to the courtroom, and even then, it was only because of how Ema reminded him of Maya. Then, there had come the Engarde trial, and with it, Maya's kidnapping. That case had challenged everything Phoenix believed in, and his determination to find Maya and ensure her safety had become all that mattered to him. That was when he had first begun to wonder. Finally, as the woman he thought was Iris took the stand the following year, and asked him a piercing question, he finally came to fully realize the truth.

"Mystic Maya...she's your girlfriend, isn't she?"

In any situation before that, he would have avoided giving an answer to that question for different reasons, but at that moment, he himself learned that he had a new reason for it.

So, this was where it all came to a head.

He put his arms back around her, pulling her close, and repeated the very same three words back. A moment later, Maya's composure finally broke, and she resumed sobbing unrestrainedly into his shoulder, albeit for a different reason than before. It was hardly a romantic scenario that they found themselves in, as they spent the following hours forcing happiness before Phoenix left to return home and pick up Trucy, but for then, it would have to do.

From there, Phoenix had, against everything his heart stood for, slowly pushed Maya further and further out of his life. They had begun by remaining in constant contact, but as Trucy grew up, Phoenix began to realize that it wasn't only Kristoph that he needed to hide the truth from. After all, he couldn't have Trucy requesting a new mother by name anywhere that Kristoph could possibly pick up on it, especially not if the name in question was that of his former assistant. As their calls grew ever further apart, Phoenix could feel with his entire being the hurt that he was putting Maya through. He wanted nothing more than to stop, and to fix everything, but it would never be worth the risk. He would never, for as long as he lived, be able to forgive himself if his actions put Maya at risk again. Whenever these thoughts made their way into his mind, he would be plagued by nightmares, horrific visions, most often of Kristoph somehow learning of his connection with Maya, with a plethora of increasingly horrifying results. That made up a major part of his gradual transition to an enigmatic outward personality. He began to avoid giving straight answers, and to feign deafness when necessary. Those around him accepted it as part of his natural being, despite how far it was from the attorney they knew from years past.

On the night after the Misham trial was resolved, and Kristoph was dragged away, still cackling like the true madman that he was, Phoenix had disappeared from the group that surrounded Apollo, and, seemingly, from the city as a whole. Unbeknownst to Trucy or Apollo, Phoenix spent the remainder of the day, as well as the night that followed, sitting with Maya in Fey Manor, apologizing at length for everything he had put Maya through since their meeting. Maya, however, refused to hear a word of it. Nothing Phoenix had to say had any chance of breaking the barrier of pure and long-buried happiness that she felt at his return. From the aftermath of their first ever trial together, Phoenix had always known that Maya Fey was truly an incredibly strong-willed woman, and their long-awaited reunion was as much a testament to it as anything.

December 25th

6:20 PM

Wright Anything Agency

Phoenix sat on the couch, coming to the end of his long train of reminiscence. He had long since forgotten about the bottle of grape juice that hung from his hand, and he placed it on the side-table as he took notice of it. Maya was currently having a long conversation with Trucy on the other end of the room. No doubt Trucy was drilling at her for every ounce of information about their relationship that she could force out. Phoenix let out a low chuckle as he watched their bright expressions.

_They really are exactly alike,_ he thought. He was roused from his quiet state as someone cleared their throat next to him. He looked up, and was greeted by the face of Klavier Gavin.

"How's it going, Klavier?" he asked amiably. Klavier's expression was somewhat strange, but it was one that Phoenix recognized immediately. Klavier was clearly unsure about how to proceed, and seemed to be fighting some deep internal struggle.

"It's...it's fine, Herr Wright." was the slow answer he gave. It was weak; clearly an excuse to avoid going into detail. This was something else Phoenix had come to recognize easily.

"Klavier, I don't need a badge to tell me that that's a blatant lie." Phoenix responded, urging Klavier to elaborate. "I saw what happened with Apollo and Ema earlier. _That's_ not the reason why, is it?" he didn't expect a positive answer. That would have been very different from the Klavier Gavin that Phoenix understood.

"Nein..." Klavier mumbled, clearly second-guessing his decision to speak to Phoenix at all. Phoenix motioned for him to go on. "Herr Wright, why did you invite me here?" he questioned after a considerable silence. Phoenix had guessed that this was where Klavier had been going with the conversation.

"Any friend of Apollo's is a friend of mine." he said, smiling. The prosecutor didn't seem reassured, as he seemed to be struggling for words again. "You're a good man, Klavier." Phoenix added.

"Herr Wright, how..." he trailed off. The look on his face was similar to the one that had appeared when he had begun to realize the truth about his brother in the Misham trial. He took in a deep breath before continuing, "How can you act like the past never happened? I ruined your entire life!" he forced out, slumping into the chair adjacent to Phoenix. Phoenix turned to him.

"No, Klavier. _You _didn't. That was all Kristoph. You did what any sane prosecutor would have done in the Gramarye trial. You were doing your job, but Kristoph's only goal was to force me into losing my badge. Neither of us knew the truth at the time, and we both just did what came naturally." Phoenix said seriously. Klavier was thinking his words over, but still didn't seem convinced. "I saw you in the Misham trial, when Vera told everyone the truth about the forgery. What you did there was even more admirable. You helped bring the truth to light, no matter what the circumstances or consequences were. You recognized what kind of person your brother really was, and you didn't let anything stop you from helping bring him to justice." Phoenix gave Klavier a moment to take his words in, and Klavier finally spoke.

"Herr Wright, ever since that trial, I've regretted ever becoming a prosecutor. It nearly drives me mad, thinking about all the people that I indirectly hurt, all the people you haven't been able to help in these past seven years, all because of me." he said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Phoenix could easily see why Klavier still acted this way. He was irrationally forcing blame onto himself, something that Phoenix had seen from many different people in his life.

"Klavier, all I can do is keep telling you that none of it is your fault. I'll have my badge back in a few months, and that wouldn't have been possible without your work in Vera's trial. The past is the past. All we can do is accept it and move on." he set a hand on Klavier's shoulder. The prosecutor gave a sigh. "You're only going to be hurting yourself if you keep trying to take the blame for what happened. I know that you're a good person, I've seen you in court enough to. You don't care about your win record, you only want to find the truth, and what you did in Vera's trial is proof of that." he waited again for Klavier to compose himself for an answer.

"I-" Klavier let out another sigh, "I don't think I deserve your forgiveness, Herr Wright, but...thank you." Phoenix gave a nod, smiling. Klavier began to stand up, but Phoenix cut in,

"One question, first." Klavier looked at him, confused. "When you first came in here, you seemed like your ordinary self. Y'know, you were confident, upright, and as cool as ever. What brought this on?" Phoenix asked, genuinely curious. Klavier gave a more characteristic chuckle.

"I was hoping to see the Fräulein Detective." he said, finally cracking his familiar grin. Phoenix laughed himself.

"I guess Apollo beat you there, then?" Klavier lowered his head, still chuckling.

"You could say that." With that, he turned and walked back into the crowd. Phoenix watched him, thinking. If Klavier Gavin could, after all the personal turmoil he had been through recently, still accept defeat with such dignity, then he was an even better man than Phoenix had first thought.

* * *

...Right. This was enough of a departure from the usual content of this fic that I seriously considered posting most of it as a separate story once I got about halfway through writing it. I hope you good people don't mind a little break to follow our favourite reinstated attorney for a bit longer.


	6. Clarity

December 25th

7:33 PM

Wright Anything Agency

As the afternoon made way for the evening, the atmosphere in the Agency had still not shifted significantly. The unending chatter from all sides was still going strong, and Phoenix strolled around, taking in the festivities. Trucy and Max Galactica had performed a spectacular impromptu partnered magic show an hour earlier, to the tumultuous applause of everyone in the office, and as a result, Trucy was still looking happier than she had in months. Phoenix took a moment to watch Apollo and Ema, as well. The two were sitting together on one of the couches, for once not talking, but instead simply enjoying each other's presence. As he sat watching them, Maya approached him.

"You still got some time for me, Nick?" she asked, tucking her arm under his. Phoenix grinned and pulled Maya to his side.

"I don't think that even needs to be asked." he said, resting his chin on her head. They simply stood in place for a minute, Maya nestling her head into Phoenix's chest, before he led her to another couch and they sat down. Now, Maya was looking over at Apollo and Ema. She leaned against Phoenix's shoulder.

"Polly didn't take quite as long as we did, did he?" she quipped. Phoenix gave a low laugh.

"So, Truce has you using the nickname as well, then?" he asked, glancing toward his daughter, who was again talking to Pearl.

"It's not my fault you two both have such weird names." Maya teased, gently shoving Phoenix's side.

"It's interesting, isn't it, how so many people we've known have ended up together." he mused, half to Maya, half to himself. This thought had occurred to him a week before, when Trucy told him about Apollo finally working up the courage to ask Ema out.

It had been Gumshoe and Maggey first, as he recalled. In the midst of the fallout from the Gramarye trial, Gumshoe had barged into the office, demanding to know what was going on. Phoenix had, given the disarray his life was in, been quite glad that Gumshoe believed him to be innocent of the forgery. Naturally, this being Dick Gumshoe, it was very difficult to calm him down once he got going, and his outrage over what had happened was the perfect catalyst to set him off. Once the detective had begun to shout about his plans to personally overthrow the disbarment decision, Phoenix had figured that it would be advisable to calm Gumshoe down. He seized the opportunity when Gumshoe mentioned Maggey in the middle of his tirade, interrupting to ask how she was doing. From there, he had eased Gumshoe back into a calm conversation about his relationship with Maggey, and by the time the detective was leaving the office, he seemed to have forgotten about why he had come by in the first place. A few months later, Gumshoe had announced their engagement.

Then, just a year before Apollo's court debut, there had been the step that Edgeworth took in his relationship with Kay. The two had been working together for six years already, and all the while, both had retained their usual dispositions, but to Phoenix's complete surprise, Edgeworth called him out of nowhere one morning, sounding rather shaken, asking for him to come to his office. When Phoenix arrived, he found Larry already sitting there, bouncing questions off of the prosecutor. Edgeworth had looked somewhat distressed, but at the time, Phoenix hadn't had the slightest idea about what was bothering him. Edgeworth had explained that after the six years he had been working with Kay, he had suddenly begun feeling an entirely unfamiliar emotion when around her. He was deeply embarrassed about the admission, particularly as Phoenix realized that he had asked _Larry Butz _for relationship advice. It was only out of kindness and respect for his friend that he didn't bring it up. Larry had, of course, jumped straight into a poorly-worded rant about the wonders of romance, while Phoenix offered the best advice he could manage, drawing upon his feelings for Maya and his regret over the way he had forced her away from his life. After a lengthy discussion, Edgeworth had thanked the both of them for their input, and they had left the office. The following day, Edgeworth had called Phoenix again, this time to recount the result of his decision to admit his feelings to Kay. Phoenix almost wished he could have seen Edgeworth's face personally, as the prosecutor was speaking in a tone he had never heard from him before. Indeed, Edgeworth had seemed ecstatic, his stoic professionalism falling away as he repeated everything that Kay had said to him, which boiled down to her having had an exceptionally well-concealed crush on him for at least four years prior. In subsequent conversations, Edgeworth had spoken of how he felt deeply glad to know that he was capable of caring for a person in such a way. Phoenix had felt extraordinarily happy for his friend as well, as the man's life had forced him to bury his emotions for so many years that it seemed a serious psychological risk.

He hadn't yet gotten around to asking Lana about when she and Jake had gotten back together, but was happy for them all the same.

"Polly looks even more nervous than Trucy described." Maya said, giggling. Phoenix looked up. Ema seemed to be asking Apollo a series of questions, and he was, by all appearances, extremely flustered. "They're adorable together." she continued. "When did Ema meet Apollo, anyway?"

"Oh, just before his second trial." Phoenix answered, thinking back. "He came by the office, saying that he couldn't get into a crime scene because of the detective leading the investigation. Once I knew it was Ema, I gave him some help in getting her attention, and she finally let him in. After that, they starting working a lot of the same cases." he finished. Maya still seemed curious. "To be honest, I had my suspicions about them for a while before he eventually asked her out. Trucy loves any opportunity she can get to tease him, so she was all over the idea as well." Maya at last seemed satisfied with the explanation, and she turned to Phoenix.

"No kidnappings, then?" she asked, smirking coyly. Phoenix paused before forcing a fake laugh. Even if Maya could somehow joke about the dangers she had been through in the past, it still hit him a bit too hard to do the same. At times, he wondered if he would ever be able to shake off the nagging worries that had built up in the back of his mind every time he had nearly lost Maya, or most recently since Kristoph had finally revealed his true colours in court. Maya gave a tiny squeak as Phoenix subconsciously tightened his hold on her. "Sorry, Nick."

Phoenix flinched and looked at Maya; the apologetic look in her eyes told him that he hadn't heard her wrong. Had she somehow realized exactly what he had been thinking? She gave him a reassuring smile. "Everything's fine, Nick. It's gonna stay that way, too." she said, resting her head against him. As Phoenix thought about it, he supposed that Maya had a point. For the time being, they were at peace, and there wasn't much to gained by continuing to worry.

Meanwhile, Ema was still occupying her time by teasing Apollo. The young attorney was blushing something fierce, as Ema rapidly thought up questions and quips to throw at him. By now, she was developing a strong knowledge of what sort of things could get Apollo flustered, and even when she hit a weak point in her teasing, she had Trucy as backup.

For what seemed like the thousandth time that evening, Apollo stammered incoherently, desperately searching for a tactful reply. Ema, feeling that she was beginning to push him a bit too far, leaned back to watch him. On their first date, while she had found Apollo's awkwardness endearing, it had also been a bit irritating in the way that it held up ordinary conversation. By now, he had mastered casual talk with Ema, but she could still easily shake his composure with well-chosen comments. She had also come to accept that his awkward nature was unlikely to ever fade completely, which, all things considered, wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

_It's just too adorable,_ Ema thought. She paused. _Wait. When did I turn back into a giddy teenager?_ While she was glad to admit that her time with Apollo had helped her shed her bitter nature, it seemed a bit odd to suddenly begin having thoughts of that sort again. Apollo was still sputtering, having thus far failed to produce a single understandable word. Ema set her hand on his shoulder, and he stopped, suddenly staring at her.

"You don't have to answer, Apollo. I'm just having some fun." she said, giving him a warm smile.

"Er, thanks, Ema." he muttered, dropping his gaze to the floor.

_Come on, Justice, she wants you to be confident in yourself, _he mentally scolded. Perhaps, now would be a good time to voice some of his concerns. He tilted his head back up, looking at Ema. "Ema, I need to say something." he said quietly.

_You're not in school, Justice. Just talk to her._

"Go ahead." Ema said, still smiling. Apollo took in a breath.

"I know I've asked you this before, Ema, but..." he wondered how best to phrase his question. "Do you...actually think that I'm...er...good enough for you?" he asked, opting to just be direct. Ema's smile faded slightly.

"Apollo..." she said, almost in a whisper. "Let me ask _you_ a question before I answer that." Apollo felt a lump rising in his throat. "Why won't you just give yourself a break?" she asked, her tone suddenly serious. That was what Apollo had been afraid to hear.

"I..." he couldn't think of an answer. Ema stared at him, now looking sad herself.

"Apollo, you're always trying to be as confident as possible in court, what is it that stops you from doing it around me?" she asked. Another dreaded question. Apollo flinched, still unable to think of an answer. He instead turned away slightly, hanging his head. Ema moved her hand to his other shoulder, turning him back to face her. "Apollo, you're a great guy. I have plenty of reasons to like you, and if I try to think up reasons why I shouldn't, nothing comes to mind. You're level-headed, strong-willed, smart; like I told you on our first date, I think we're a great match."

Apollo smiled, but it didn't reach his downcast eyes. Ema continued, "Even if you feel inadequate, even if you keep beating yourself up over it, I still care about you." she said, before briefly pausing. To her dismay, Apollo still looked unsure. Ema sighed. "It comes down to drastic measures, then." she said, a hint of finality showing in her tone. She turned to face Apollo completely.

_This seems familiar. _

She put her hands on both of Apollo's shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes. She gave him a moment to act first, but to her annoyance, he still remained unmoving. She held herself back from glaring at him, knowing that, as annoyed as she was by his behaviour, he would only get worse if she acted on it. Instead, she pulled him forcefully toward her, wrapping her arms around him. Apollo tensed up at the embrace, but Ema refused to let him pull away. After a short time, she lowered her head, dropping her chin onto his shoulder.

"I'm not letting go until you relax." she murmured, closing her eyes. It looked as if that would take quite a while; Apollo was showing no signs of releasing his tension. As the moments wore on, Ema kept a close watch for any motion Apollo could make to pull away. She opened her eyes after a while, and saw Trucy sitting a short distance away, watching them. Her eyes locked onto Ema's. Trucy looked nervous, as if she too was hoping for Apollo to eventually relax and return Ema's embrace. "Apollo," Ema whispered, "I don't want to hear anything about what you think I deserve, especially not if it's 'someone better' than you. Right now, the only thing I want to happen is for you to be confident about us. In just one week, you've managed to make me care that much about you, and if that's not reason enough for confidence, I doubt I'll ever find out what is."

As Apollo listened to her words, his mind became a confused mess. He knew that he cared about Ema in more ways than he could put into words, and she was here telling him that she felt the very same for him, but in the back of his mind, that irrational voice of uncertainty continued its efforts to force his emotions down. He wished that Ema hadn't stopped talking. Her words had been tearing at his emotional barriers ever since they had started this conversation. As she sat with him in silence, he made a realization.

_I need to make my own move to decide this._

He closed his eyes and, with an agonizing slowness, lifted his arms around Ema's shoulders. At long last, he relaxed, his tension fading, and leaned into her. Immediately after, he heard what sounded remarkably similar to one of Ema's aggravated sighs. Her grip on him tightened, and he responded in the same way.

It was almost unbelievable, the way that Ema had changed since they had met. She had been dismissive and bitter in their first few meetings, but slowly became more friendly and generally cheerful. Her disposition had warmed more than he would ever have predicted in the past week alone, and now, here she was, expressing her emotions to the very best of her ability, all directly to him. Perhaps his favourite thing about Ema's personality was the way that, even as she had pushed off her outward bitterness, she never lost the impatient and snarky attitude that matched his own so well. Thinking about it, there were a lot of things that drew Apollo to Ema, but his descriptive abilities only went so far. So, giving up the ghost with his internal monologue, he lifted his head to see Ema's face.

Ema took in the details of Apollo's face as he raised his head from her shoulder. The confidence she had been looking for in him was finally showing itself. He was wearing a broad and determined smirk, precisely like the one that appeared when he had a lead in court. She smiled brightly back. Apollo adjusted his position to lift his head to the same height as Ema's. Ema hadn't taken proper notice before, but now that she looked, Apollo really was noticeably shorter than she was. Ema tilted her head forward, resting her forehead against Apollo's. The same thought seemed to occur to both of them at the same time, but to Ema's pleasant surprise, Apollo made the first move to close the gap.

His lips made contact with Ema's, and the two improvised from there. Apollo felt the last vestiges of uncertainty fading from his mind as their kiss continued. Ema felt exhilarated; this was different from a few hours ago, when she had kissed Apollo to make her point to Klavier. This time, he was returning the very same emotions and passions, which amplified the effects tenfold. Thinking about it, it was really quite a simple equation, and she briefly wondered why she hadn't predicted it. When, entirely too soon, they separated, the attorney and the detective for once shared a moment of blushing and awkward looks.

"Well, Apollo?" Ema said, her grin reappearing. "You still not feeling sure?" Apollo gave a low laugh.

"I don't think that's gonna be a problem anymore." he replied, matching her grin.

"Well, just in case, I'll say one more thing." Ema said, her face glowing. "No matter who I could have met in my life, since you've come around, I don't think anyone out there can ever make me as happy as you can. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but even the best science experiments couldn't prove that wrong." For the first time, Apollo successfully fought down the red tinge that threatened to appear on his face. He threw his arms around Ema again.

"Trust me," he said, holding her tightly, "the feeling's mutual."

Trucy smiled widely, watching Apollo and Ema on the couch. She was not the most patient girl around, and from where she was standing, it had taken Apollo _ages _to get his act together. Clearly, it was Ema leading their relationship.

_They're like... _she pondered, watching as Apollo hugged Ema, ..._one half of a set of bookends. Like the ones on Daddy's old bookshelves. Daddy and Ms. Maya make up the other half. Well, except that there aren't a bunch of dusty old law books that Daddy pretends to have read between them. Nope, we've got a big crowd of interesting people, instead._ She looked back and forth between the two couches. Phoenix and Maya were still sitting together on one, and the other was still occupied by Apollo and Ema.

_Yep. Bookends._

"Trucy!" Trucy turned around at the sound of the voice. Maya's cousin, Pearl, was returning from a bathroom break. "I think I'm ready!" she said, hardly able to contain her excitement. It was funny, how Pearl acted like an excitable ten year-old, despite being a year older than Trucy.

"OK, Pearly. Daddy's still on the couch over there, so just do it here." Trucy said, gesturing toward her father.

"OK!" Pearl said. She closed her eyes, pressing her palms together. Trucy gasped, clapping a hand to her mouth as Pearl began to emit a glowing aura. A few seconds later, the light faded, and where Pearl had been standing, there now stood a woman just a few inches shorter than Phoenix, only her clothing and hair still matching Pearl's.

"Wow..." Trucy said, her hand still halfway over her mouth. The woman glanced down at herself.

"So, it's Pearl, then..." she muttered to herself, before noticing Trucy. "Hello." she greeted with a warm smile. "I'm Mia Fey." she extended a hand to the teenage girl in front of her. Mia was subconsciously glad that Pearl had grown significantly over the years, as she no longer needed to constantly hold her arms against her chest to pin her clothes in place. The girl took a moment to recover from her initial shock, and slowly shook Mia's hand.

"I'm Trucy Wright." she said breathlessly.

"Ah, I wondered when I was going to meet you." Mia said, "Maya and Pearl have mentioned you before." she added, seeing Trucy's confusion. "Er, pardon my asking, but where are we?" she asked.

"Daddy's office, the Wright Anything Agency!" Trucy said, with a dramatic flourish. Mia cast her gaze around the large and crowded room, an odd look in her eyes.

"What did he do to the office...?" she mumbled, too quietly for Trucy to hear. Speaking up, she said, "I like your outfit. You're a magician, right?"

"Yep!" Trucy said with an energetic nod, "The last of the Gramaryes!" Mia vaguely recalled the name from her lifetime.

"How is Phoenix doing?" Mia asked.

"Daddy's doing great. He's going to get his Attorney's Badge back in a couple of months." Trucy replied, "He's just sitting over there with Ms. Maya, you can go see him personally." she added, pointing across the room. Mia followed her gesture, her eyes locking onto her sister, who was huddled against the side of a man in a grey hoodie. Her smile faded as she looked at the man that had to be Phoenix. She walked toward them, sadly reflecting on what had happened to her former student.

"M-Mia!?" Phoenix gasped, noticing her. Maya's eyes snapped open and she sat upright.

"Sis?" she mumbled, still dazed.

"Hello, Maya, Phoenix." Mia said, putting on a smile.


	7. A Few Words

**December 25th**

**8:03 PM**

**Wright Anything Agency**

"It's, uh..." Phoenix stammered, his eyes twitching between his ex-mentor and Maya, who was still under his arm, "It's been a pretty long time, hasn't it, Chief?" In most other situations, he would have been quite glad to see Pearl channeling Mia, but in his current position, with her younger sister nestled under his arm, her sudden appearance was hardly ideal; as far as comprising positions went, it was relatively tame, but the concern was still there. Mia, seeing his sudden flash of panic, decided to toy with him a bit.

"It certainly has, Phoenix." she said, faking a stern glare. Her eyes darted between Maya and Phoenix, the former rubbing her eyes wearily, and the latter beginning to lose colour in his face. "So," she continued, "This is the first time I've seen you in seven years, and I find you sleeping with my kid sister. Quite a step you've taken." It was only the influence of her time as a lawyer that allowed her to maintain her straight face and stifle her laughter. What little colour had remained in Phoenix's face was now nowhere in sight, and he broke into a sweat, shuffling away from Maya. Maya shook off her drowsiness and properly registered what Mia was saying as Phoenix moved to the other side of the couch. She wasn't as practiced as her late sister in concealing a giggle, and covered her mouth, hoping Phoenix wouldn't notice. He did not, naturally, as he was still struggling to form words that would keep Mia's apparent anger at bay. He had been expecting many things to happen at this party, but having to talk his way around a protective sister from beyond the grave was _not _on the list.

"I know it...must seem pretty...er, sudden..." he managed, "...but...well, you have to understand that we've...we've known each other for ten years, and-" he stopped, whipping his head to the side as Maya lost control and broke out into a fit of giggles. "What're you-"

"Nick, she's..." Maya couldn't speak clearly through her laughter, "Sis has..." she took in a deep breath to steady her voice, "Sis has known about us the whole time, Nick." Phoenix turned again and stared back at Mia.

"Since day one." she confirmed, smiling, as Maya dissolved back into laughter. Phoenix sighed, out of both relief and exasperation.

"So, you approve, then?" he asked, still slightly apprehensive. Mia nodded.

"Definitely. Like Maya's always told you, you're hopeless without her around." she said. Phoenix cast a very brief annoyed look at Maya, but grinned. Mia gave her sister a moment to collect herself before she spoke again.

"Now, more importantly, about your badge." Phoenix's face fell.

"I...I'm sorry, Chief." he said, dropping his gaze to the floor. He had long since gotten over the loss, but as he realized that he had never spoken to Mia about it, he felt a distant pang of regret. He looked back up to face his late mentor, and they exchanged a sad glance. Maya waited a moment before cutting in.

"C'mon, you two, you're supposed to be having a happy reunion, not sulking about the badge." she said, disliking the conversation's sudden change in tone. "Besides, you'll have it back in no time, won't you, Nick?" Phoenix gave a weak smile.

"Yeah. Shouldn't be more than a couple of months before I'm back in business." he said. Even with this, the conversation did not return to its earlier upbeat tone. Maya gave an annoyed frown.

"Talk about something positive!" she said, raising her voice the tiniest bit. Neither consented, and Maya stood up and took off across the room. A short time later, she returned, dragging Trucy and Apollo by their wrists.

"Cheer them up, you two." she instructed, sitting back down. Trucy smiled at her father and Mia; Apollo gave a confused glance between his mentor and the unfamiliar woman. He was joined by Ema a moment later.

"Have you met my daughter, Mia?" Phoenix asked, taking a stab at conversation.

"Yep, she has!" Trucy said brightly. Apollo suddenly stared at Mia. She caught his eye.

"Mia Fey." she said, offering a hand. Apollo's eyes widened.

"Wha-...but, you're...you're dead!" he sputtered, confusion and disbelief overtaking his face. He turned to Phoenix. "Isn't she!?" he asked, to which Phoenix only chuckled quietly.

"Yes." Mia said, answering in his stead. This only served to confuse Apollo further, and he turned nervously to Ema, as if expecting to see her suddenly replaced by some other ten-years-dead person. Reaching a hand up, she sharply flicked his forehead.

"There. You aren't dreaming." she said, smirking. Maya began giggling again.

"Before you start to question your sanity," Mia said, smiling warmly, "I'll explain." Apollo turned back to her, now looking rather desperate for such an explanation. "My cousin, Pearl, just like Maya, is a spirit medium; she can channel the spirits of the dead into her own body to allow them temporary presence in the living world. I'm using her body right now." Apollo seemed to understand. Privately, he was now rather embarrassed that he hadn't figured it out, considering his strong knowledge of Phoenix's law career.

"...Right. I'm Apollo Justice." he said, realizing that he hadn't yet introduced himself. Mia shook his hand.

"Maya's told me a bit about you, but only as much as the news has told her." she said, "I understand that you and Phoenix have been busy."

"I guess so." Apollo said, avoiding detail. Mia tilted her head.

"Don't be modest, Apollo. I'd think that winning the Misham trial and helping Phoenix overhaul_ the entire legal system_ warrants a bit more than an 'I guess so'." Mia said. She turned to Phoenix, a kind of fierce pride in her eyes now. "I suppose if you can pull _that_ off without your badge, we should all be looking forward to you having it back."

"Quite." remarked another voice; Mia turned to see Edgeworth standing next to her. "Ms. Fey," he said, nodding to her, before looking to Apollo. "You gave a truly admirable performance in that trial, Justice." Apollo stared in blank shock as Edgeworth continued, "By all definitions, truly worthy of your mentor's legacy." Phoenix noticed a meaningful glint in Edgeworth's eye as he said the last few words. "Frankly, Wright, I'd be a bit ashamed of you, if you were anything less than exceptionally proud of your protégé's accomplishments."

"Might wanna slow down there, Edgey. You're gonna send poor Apollo into shock." chimed yet another voice; Kay now stood next to Edgeworth, tossing an arm around his shoulders with no pretense of subtlety.

Glancing at Apollo's stunned expression, Ema smirked. At one point in time, it would have been her standing in utter shock at a compliment from Miles Edgeworth. Although, at that same time, she probably would have attacked Kay for her affectionate gesture towards him, and Apollo didn't seem like the type to do so. Even so, given what she knew about Apollo's behaviour when embarrassed, she suspected that he was in need of saving. She draped her arms over his shoulders from behind, setting her chin on his head.

"That sounds like our Apollo, alright." she said, nudging his obtrusive hair spikes aside to see past them.

"Now, Mr. Justice, there's something else I need to speak to you about for a moment." Edgeworth said, giving a light smile. He took a few steps away from the group, beckoning for Apollo to follow him. Apollo stepped forward and Edgeworth quietly spoke. "A few of the guests are intending to make a speech, myself included, and I think it would be appropriate for you to call the room to order, Mr. Justice." he said cordially, "Wright's daughter tells me you have a rather masterful control of your voice." Apollo laughed nervously.

"I guess I can help out, Mr. Edgeworth." he said, "When are you starting?"

"Oh, whenever you're ready." Edgeworth replied. Apollo cast a glance back at the remaining group. Ema had joined the continuing conversation.

"Should we just do it now, then?" he asked. Edgeworth nodded curtly.

"Very well."

He and Apollo strode to the centre of the office, where Will Powers, Detective Gumshoe, and Adrian Andrews stood waiting.

"Is everyone ready to begin?" Edgeworth asked.

"All set, Mr. Edgeworth!" Gumshoe answered, nodding.

"Very well." Edgeworth said again, "Mr. Justice, just shout whatever comes to mind."

_Is that even worth asking?_ Apollo straightened up, inhaled deeply, and positively bellowed,

"_**OBJECTION!**_"

The effect on the crowd was quite pronounced; nearly every head in the office turned toward Apollo, and the formerly impenetrable chatter died down near instantly.

"Thank you, Justice." Edgeworth cleared his throat and addressed the crowd at large.

"Now that Mr. Justice has gotten your attention, a few of us have some things to say. Mr. Powers?" he motioned to Powers to begin. Apollo was taken aback by how timid Powers seemed, as everyone in the office turned their attention to him. Nevertheless, after a brief glance around the room, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Evening, everyone. I thought we should..er...say a few words before we're all a bit...well, a bit too inebriated to properly appreciate the man that threw this party."

"Hear, hear!" came the clearly just-shy-of-inebriated voice of Larry from near the punch bowl.

"Phoenix Wright's a great man," Powers continued, hoping to avoid any further outbursts from Larry, "regardless of how bad a situation any client of his found themselves in, Mr. Wright would never lose faith in them." a mutter of agreement rippled around the room as he paused. Adrian stepped forward.

"If it hadn't been for Mr. Wright and Mr. Edgeworth, I never would have gotten anywhere near where I am today. They never stopped in their fight to bring the truth to light, and we're all better off for it." she said, to another wave of agreement.

"If the last several years mean anything, they show that nothing's ever gonna stop Mr. Wright or any student of his from making sure that the law comes out on top." added Gumshoe, clapping Apollo on the back.

"Half of us in here owe our lives to Mr. Wright and Ms. Fey. The best defense team the country's ever seen, soon to be reinstated!" Powers said, more confidently than before. "I say, at the very least, we owe the man a hand." the group broke into applause, and moments later, the entire office followed suit.

Phoenix looked around the office as the crowd began to applaud. Everyone was taking part, from one end of the office to the other. He couldn't contain a slight smirk as he saw even Franziska clapping politely in the corner. Maya nudged his side, urging him to stand up. Everyone turned to him, a mass of cheerful faces, the tumult of applause still ongoing.

"Now, just make sure you don't screw up that exam, Nick." Maya said from beside him. He turned to respond, but Maya wasn't waiting for an answer; before he could get even a word out, she lunged into him for an almost fierce kiss. Trucy gave a little squeal at the sight, and Mia smiled at them, before she began to again emit a glow, changing back into her cousin. Pearl opened her eyes just a moment before Maya pulled away from Phoenix, and she gave a squeal to perfectly match Trucy's.

The applause from the crowd slowly faded, and shortly after, the previous incomprehensible sound of conversation resumed. As Apollo returned to the group by the couch, Ema remarked,

"You'd better be sure that your shouting voice in still in shape, Mr. Wright. Wouldn't want Apollo to outclass you, after all." she pulled Apollo to her side as she spoke. Phoenix chuckled.

"I'd suggest that we have a comparison here, but we'd just be interrupting everybody again."

* * *

...I am all kinds of sorry for how long this chapter took. It's not even that long, but once I got about a third of the way in, I completely lost my thread on where I was going with it. I'm still not happy with a few elements of it, but I doubt I'll be able to improve it much more by delaying it any longer.


	8. In Closing

**December 25th**

**10:14 PM**

**Wright Anything Agency**

As was to be expected, the activity in the office declined sharply in the late evening. Around half of the guests had left at some point or another, leaving a much more subdued group remaining. Most had left under ordinary circumstances, but naturally, Larry was the exception. Those acquainted with him had fully expected him reach his usual lengths in causing trouble, and were not remotely surprised as his ratio of drinks consumed to behavioural standards continued to drift. In a feat of unprecedented boldness and stupidity, however, Larry managed to exceed his previous known lows when he passed by Franziska whilst working through the latest in his uncounted number of drinks, and took the moment to grab the prosecutor by the shoulders and clumsily slam his lips against hers.

Edgeworth had been speaking to Franziska at the time, and emitted a bizarre sort of noise classed somewhere between a strangled groan and a horrified shriek as this occurred. The instant Larry had pulled away, Edgeworth had begun to drag him out of the office, deeming it prudent to remove him immediately from the premises before the office became a murder scene. In the moments that followed, Franziska had stood frozen, apparently in a state of unfathomable, yet entirely silent rage. Nobody seemed to want to be the one to attempt to interact with her, as her fingers clenched and unclenched on the handle of her whip, her expression unreadable.

"Is she...gonna be alright?" Apollo asked quietly to those nearest him.

"...She'll probably...um...actually, it's hard to say at this point, pal." Gumshoe replied, staring apprehensively at Franziska. She remained entirely unmoving for another minute's time, before she slowly lifted a hand, her gloved fingertips lightly grazing her lips. A moment later, she suddenly let out a sort of enraged howl, and, turning on her heel, stormed out of the office, her face livid.

"Eh, that's about what I would have expected." Phoenix said, "Although, frankly, I'm shocked she didn't say the word "fool" even once."

Little else happened for the remainder of the evening; Edgeworth returned a short while later to escort Kay home, and from there, the office's population gradually declined, the other guests saying their farewells and departing.

"Don't worry, Daddy, we're not gonna be completely alone." Trucy said, noticing the sombre expression on Phoenix's face, "Ms. Maya and Pearly are staying overnight, after all." Phoenix lowered his head, smiling.

"I know, Truce. Sorry if I seem a bit out of it; it's been a long day, with a lot of memories." he said, setting a hand on Trucy's shoulder.

"Are we gonna clean everything up tonight, or wait until tomorrow?" Trucy asked, glancing around the cluttered room. Apollo gave Phoenix an impatient sort of look, silently stating his opinion.

"We can get to most of it tonight, I think." Phoenix said, taking a look around for himself. He crossed the room to the tables, and began stacking the remaining dishes.

"Don't worry, I'm not mean enough to bail on you without lending a hand." Ema said, joining him. Apollo was quite glad that nobody seemed unwilling to help with the work, as well as thankful that none of the guests had managed to cause any particularly difficult messes. The office never was very tidy to begin with, but any opportunity to make an improvement was welcome. As he made his way to the side of the room to begin his own work, Trucy approached him.

"Good party, wasn't it, Apollo?" she asked brightly, removing her hat to stoop under a table.

"Sure was." Apollo replied, suspecting that Trucy had a few more questions in mind. His theory was proven as Trucy continued,

"I'll bet you and Ema had a nice time." Apollo smiled; for once, he wasn't embarrassed to bring up the subject.

"Seems that way." he said. Trucy would normally have immediately jumped on the nearest opportunity to tease him, but she seemed to be holding back at the moment. "I guess you don't have a boyfriend yet, do you?" Apollo asked, picking up the slack. Trucy giggled.

"Are you crazy, Polly? Daddy wouldn't let anyone near me." Apollo shrugged.

_Sounds like Mr. Wright, I guess._

They went about their work in relative silence for a while. Maya and Pearl joined in the effort as well, and the office very quickly began to resemble its state from the morning.

"I had a great time, Nick." Maya commented, watching Phoenix work silently.

"So did I, Mr. Nick!" Pearl chimed. Phoenix smiled. The years might have drastically changed his own personality, but Maya and Pearl were still the same two girls they had always been.

"Me too," he said, looking up at them. "it was great, talking to everyone again after so long." Maya nodded.

"Maybe you'll even see some of them again once you get your badge back." she said, a nostalgic shine in her eyes.

"Yeah..." Phoenix mumbled, dropping his gaze back to the ground, "Maybe." In truth, he was quite eager to reclaim his badge, but in the back of his mind, whenever the topic was brought up, he felt a stab of regret, knowing that, while he would be able to return to the courtroom, Maya would be unable to accompany him. She had been his constant source of support in the first three years of his career, and it was hard to imagine making his return without her.

"Maya?" he started, forcing his voice to remain steady.

"Yeah, Nick?" Maya responded, glancing up from her own work.

"Sometime, once I'm back in business," he began, trying to banish the sombre look on his face, "you think there might be any chance for you to come back to town and join me for a case?" Maya gave a smile, but a hint of sadness crossed her face.  
"I hope so, Nick." she said, a tiny note of sympathy audible. She didn't look or sound entirely confident, which was understandable. As she had told him before, her duties as Kurain's Master kept her schedule quite busy for the majority of her time.

From there, they resumed their cleaning work, their conversation limited to trading occasional comments between prolonged silences. Trucy had been listening to them as she worked. It seemed as if her father's feelings about the subject were roughly the same as hers. She was overjoyed to know how much Phoenix and Maya cared for each other, but at the same time, she felt the same sense of regret in knowing that much of their relationship had to be indirect due to the circumstances of their lives.

_I hope things work out, too, _she thought, shifting her gaze to Apollo and Ema. Apollo had been rearranging the shelves until he realized that he was slightly too short to finish the job, at which point Ema had winked at Trucy and gone over to assist him. In light of Apollo's personal progress in his relationship with Ema, Trucy had decided to back off from teasing him a bit, but Ema seemed to be picking up the slack as well as could be expected. As she used her slight height advantage to organize the few items that Apollo couldn't manage, she made sure to give him a few very particular snide comments, but Apollo seemed genuinely amused by them, rather than annoyed or flustered. Trucy smiled widely as Apollo actually broke into laughter at one of Ema's unheard comments. Under all her teasing, she was incredibly glad to see Apollo in such a good mood, now happily trading quips with Ema to match her pace perfectly.

Just then, Pearl approached Trucy.

"Hey, Pearly!" The latter greeted happily. Pearl seemed preoccupied, her eyes intensely focused on Apollo and Ema.

"Trucy, are Mr. Justice and Ms. Skye...going out?" she asked, not breaking her stare.

"Yep." Trucy said, and Pearl let out a small squeal. "Polly asked Ema out about a week ago."

"They look so happy!" Pearl chirped, her face lighting up in joy. She had an interesting tendency to break off into long-winded fantasies about other people's love lives, Trucy had noted. Already, she seemed to be dreaming up bubbly images of the future, no doubt involving Apollo and Ema.

"They do _now,_ definitely." Trucy said. "Apollo was really nervous about the whole thing until earlier today, though." In hindsight, it seemed odd that Pearl hadn't noticed Apollo and Ema together earlier, but she had most likely just been too busy watching Phoenix and Maya. Pearl's face didn't change even remotely at this information.

"They're just like Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick..." she quietly said, gazing dreamily toward the ceiling. Trucy smirked; from what Maya had told her, Pearl had been quite early in recognizing the development of Phoenix and Maya's relationship, but whether or not it had actually been as Pearl envisioned it from the beginning was a bit of a debated topic. This time, though, her timing seemed to be about as close as possible.

Trucy took a step back, glancing around. The office was looking about as clean as was possible, and everybody seemed to be into the final touches of their work. Ema and Apollo were also standing back to check the state of the room, and Phoenix was having a quiet chat with Maya. Maya noticed Trucy looking over.

"Everything looking good over there?" she asked. Ema and Apollo turned as Trucy nodded.

"I don't hear Polly complaining, so we must have done something right." she said, casting a glance at Apollo. Ema teasingly ruffled Apollo's hair, knocking one of his spikes askew.

"It's been a long day." Ema said. "I had a fantastic time, Mr. Wright. I'll get out of your way, now." she crossed to the door with Apollo.

"Alright, see you soon," Phoenix replied, smiling. He turned back toward Maya. "Maya, you and Pearls are using my room. I'll take the couch." Maya opened her mouth to argue, but Phoenix continued. "We're not arguing about it, Maya." he said, lightly kissing her cheek. Maya put on a slight pout, but still walked into the back room, Pearl following closely behind her. As Phoenix picked up a blanket from the couch, he heard Ema and Apollo talking just outside the door.

"Thanks for everything, Apollo. I really did have a great time." Ema said. Less than two seconds later, she clapped a hand to his mouth, cutting off his attempted response. "No modesty." she said, removing her hand. Phoenix chuckled; it was just like Apollo to try and brush off the compliment even at this point.

"Right...Well, I'm glad to hear it, Ema." Apollo said. "When are you gonna be available again?" he added. Ema laughed.

"You haven't forgotten already, have you? There's still nothing happening at the precinct. I seriously doubt Gumshoe would complain if I just spent the whole day tomorrow with you." she responded, ruffling Apollo's hair again.

"Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow, then." Apollo said, stepping back through the door. Ema grabbed his shoulder. "What?"

"You're gonna need more practice with this, Apollo. That wasn't exactly the most romantic farewell you could have managed." Ema teasingly scolded. Trucy scoffed from inside the office. "Here's a slightly better idea."

Without further warning, Ema grabbed a hold of Apollo's sweater and pulled him forward into a kiss. She held it for several seconds before stepping back, leaving Apollo in a familiar stupor.

"Keep that in mind for next time." she said, waving a hand as she started down the hallway. Apollo stood frozen for a moment, before Trucy tapped his arm.

"You can't stand there all night, Polly." she said, grinning up at him. She closed the front door and tugged his arm to direct him back to his room. He slowly shuffled back, and as he made to close the door, she quipped, "And you'd better make sure to follow Ema's advice next time. You wouldn't want Klavier to see you disappointing her."

* * *

Well, that's it, I guess. I really love writing these characters, but I'm not quite as adept as I'd like to be yet. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoyed the fic, and I look forward to your feedback.

I'm off to continue gushing over Edgey's new design for Dual Destinies. I am an entirely heterosexual male, but_ those damned glasses_

G'night, fellas.


End file.
